The present invention relates to a hub and a wheel for an at least partially muscle-powered, two-wheeled vehicle and in particular to a bicycle.
In the area of sports and also in competitive sports, bicycle components tend to be required which are particularly lightweight while also being very sturdy. Thus, for example wheels having straight or non-cranked spokes have been disclosed offering a low weight combined with high stability. These wheels require hubs having a hub flange suitable to receive straight respectively non-cranked spokes.
The prior art has disclosed hubs whose hub flanges show a plurality of tangential or radial bores. The spokes are inserted through these and retained in the mounted state. To ensure stable accommodation for each spoke, thus also allowing crossed spokes, the flange configuration needs to show a suitable width. This results in a very inconvenient weight of these hubs.
Another disadvantage of the known hubs is the hub flange diameter that tends to be very large, since the straight spokes need space during mounting. Spoking is a particular problem, for example with hubs having a rotor or a brake disk accommodation. Therefore, the hub flanges tend to be configured with a very large diameter in these positions which adversely affects the weight of the hub. Moreover, large or wide hub flanges offer a large surface for wind action and therefore tend to show poor aerodynamics.
Therefore, the prior art has disclosed hubs suitable for accommodating straight spokes, while also showing a compact hub flange configuration. To enable ease of spoking, the hub flange is as a rule provided with large-area recesses or multiple-slit configurations. However, this often results in considerable structural weakening of the hub flange.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a hub and a wheel which offer an accommodation for the spokes in the hub flange that is both stable and compact.